LEARNING WITHOUT MONEY

¶ Do you set so little by my knowledge and learning? ¶ Who will esteem thee unless thou have living? ¶ As long as he needs not thou wilt help him at and ynche, But if in poverty he fallen, then friendship will quench: For it is the nature of the churlish rich man To be friend to such as of him stands no need: But if his riches fail farewell friendship than, He will not then bid him with him once to feed: If I had your estate Sir, by proof you should see All the crowtching you have had should then be done to me. ¶ If you mark it as well as here you have it placed, They will be the less grievous to you come they never so fast: I promise you I would not cham ̄ ge my estate with this men living ¶ Opens eiusmodi parandae quae navi fracta simul cum Dn ̄ oh quaeant enatare: These riches of men are chiefly to be got Which may swim to land with his master when ̄ the ship is broke ̄ . ¶ Godliness is great riches if a man be therewith content, God for the godly will prepare that he shall have sufficient. Perhaps he is more accepted then thou in Gods sighed: He thinks none is happy but such as have money I will prove this man richer then thou by and by, For he would be content with sufficient cloth and food, And thou art not satisfied with twenty men's good. In opiae nauca desunt, avaritiae omniam says Horacius: Few things to the needy but all wanting to the covetous, Thou represents Dives who had all his pleasure here, But he represents Lazarus who now hath heavenly cheer: Beware least through thy riches thou have not endless pain, The faithful and contented wight in th'end shall heaven attain. ¶ You take your self I perceive in this case to be afterwards, Therefore you shall be to higher office preferred. ¶ Duae res sunt quae maxim homines and maleficium ̄ impellunt, luxum rises & avaritiam: Two things chiefly doth man to mischief bring, Lechery and covetousness, Oh vile and sinful sting: Thou hadst even now enough thy neighbours to oppress, But thou hast not one penny on this poor man to spare: If thou shouldst give him twelve pence what hadst thou the less, God hath hardened thy heart and cast thy up I fear. ¶ Of money, pleasure and sin he is now enticed, I pray God with Damnation he be not infected: Well, walk thou in thy vocation what ever thou hast, Praise thy God so long as life doth last. ¶ For that I know God hath sent you riches, Great knowledge, wisdom and learning withal: Beware of pleasures the mother of Sin doubtless, For if she once catch you to sin you shall be thrall, It is written in the second de finibus, Nemo est dignus nomine hominis, qui unum totum ̄ diem velit esse I voluptate. He is not worthy the name of a man be sure, Which spends the whole day in voluptuousness and pleasure. ¶ I thank you most heartily of your large promise, I will wait upon you as my bounden duty is. ¶ Quisque suam ducitur naturam as here it may appear, For the evil is wrought by the instrument according to nature: This man is given naturally to oppress the poor And money is the instrument that makes him so bold: Many are given naturally to consume in keeping a whore: Some naturally in drinking to spend their gold. Nihil est tam munitum quod auro non expugnetur. Thou thinks thou lacks nothing seeing thou art full of treasure: Who in marrying their children have any respect To learning and honesty but only to riches: Nay the one they do embrace the other they neglect's. Well hereof a pretty answer was made by Themistocles One asked him whither it was better his daughter to marry To a rich man not honest, or to and honest poor man, And he answered again both quickly and wisely Ego inquit malim virum qui pecuniam, quam quae egeat viro pecuni I had rather says he to have if I can A man that lacks money, then money that lacks a man. This gentleman of thee should not be esteemed Unless he had riches if thy words may be believed: For even now thou saidst, I am not deaf of hearing Who would esteem me unless I had a living: There is none other difference between this gentleman and me, But that he doth abound in riches and I in poverty: To make such a bargain I were out of my wit. ¶ I have in my learning more perfect consolation Then thou hast or canst have in all thy gold and riches, For I may carry it with me in any country or nation: And the more I spend thereof the more it will increase, But the more thou spendest the more it doth diminish: Thus no man that hears us but may perceive well That my learning thy riches and treasure doth excel. ¶ Some that doth not know me perhaps will say so, But where I am known (I trust) my usage is such That they are very sorry when thus I do go: And when I come again of me they make much: But thou amongst thy neighbours art so beloved And though they flatter thee for fear to thy face, They will curse thee assoon as thy back from them is turned And call thee cankeard churl in every place. Learning may aswell counsel where money doth want, But riches causeth the common sort to esteem counsel best: For if a rich man well appareled have a fine tonge to descant, He shall be taken for learned though he know never a letter. My learning as good as yours I dare be bold to compare, Yet there is great difference between our estimations, But if your attire, as mine is, were course and as bore, Then he should be best esteemed that had best conditions. My name is Learning without money in poor degree, God wot, I have not to help my need, either penny or groat. And though I have no money at this time present Yet I thank God, through my knowledge and learning I ever have enough wherewith I am content, So that contentation makes me as rich as a king. The difference between our two livings is this only, You live idly in pleasure, and I in study take pain Which you can not away with but think it a misery: But if with labour I have sufficient I am right glad and fain, Who will not be content with poverty to have sufficient gain? Surely to live godly with poverty I had rather Then be damned in sin with continual pleasure. ¶ I will not say but that riches be a great occasion ¶ Who so is rich doth fallen into many anoysome lust, But the godly poor always in God doth put his trust: If you do rule your goods and bestow them as you ought, Few fellows you have as I by proof have tried Of many learned rich I craved but could get nought, But the poor sort unlearned have given me to feed: Many that be learned and riches have withal Are more out of frame then some who nothing have at all. Their learning makes them think with their riches to be so strong, That they will oppress their neighbour be it never so wrong. And perhaps be stolen or lost before it be half done: Many one of their money as they have travailed Have be spoiled, some hurt therefore, and some also murdered. ¶ These words of pleasures are written by Cato, Malorum escam voluptas quam homines capiuntur ut pisces hamo: Pleasure is the meat of evil men thus means the text and book Wherewith men be catched as fish with the hook. And again he hath written, read the same who list Nullam capitalior pestis, quam ̄ corporis voluptas, hominibus à natur that est There is no greater plague given to man by nature Then is of the body the desire or pleasure. ¶ Juvenalis words herein doth thee rightly hit, Crescit amor nummi quantum ipsam pecuniam crescit: The love of money increases as much as money it self To what mischief brings us this vile and wicked pelf. Money makes no man rich unless there be contentation, But the poor man contented is richer I say As in ultimo paradoxo I find a good probation, Contentum suis rebus esse, maximae sunt certissimae que divitiae: The most great and certain riches that is Hath he that is content with that which is his: Therefore thou art most poor as I may well define, For thou art not content with that which is thine. Egens est qui non satis habet, & is cui nihil satis potest esse: He is poor that hath not enough or whom nothing will satisfy: And in primo paradoxo thou art trimly painted, And such as thou art as be never satisfied. Numquam expletur nec satiatur cupiditatis sitis, Ne que solum eam quae habent libidine augendi cruciantur, said etiam amittendi metum: The thirst of desire is never satisfied nor filled, And these goods they have to increase their desire Whereby they are not only grievously tormented, But also to lose them they have as great a fear.